If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Homemade Gun Vise

I started looking into this when I saw that most of the decent gun vises were close to $100 for a hunk of molded plastic. I do quite a bit of woodworking so I figured I could build one of my own. I haven't started yet, but I drew up some plans on a free CAD program called Google Sketchup that works very well for this type of thing.

The design is essentially a very heavy base with a T-track in the top which will allow for a variety of different holders to slide in. It has some drawers in the front for tools and cleaning supplies. I'm thinking of removing the middle drawer and replacing it with a suitcase type handle so the whole thing can be picked up and carried with one hand.

With the t-track you can have the standard rests, or you can have a middle piece that slides in like the Tipton GunVise has for holding up a folded AR for cleaning. In addition, you could have a seperate rest meant for holding pistols or revolvers for cleaning and for lighter weight jobs, you could have a flat rest with a small actual vice bolted to it for holding parts for filing, etc.

I've included a quick drawing of a simple rest so you can see how it would attach. There is a 1/4" rail that runs in the track and you can see a hole where a 1/4 bolt will pass up through the rest to a knob. The rail along the bottom is there so I only need one knob to keep it from twisting. (Yes, there should be a notch on the bottom for the bolt head.)

It may be heavier than I like but if it is, maybe I can adapt it for a shooting bench rest. *shrug* I'm also thinking of maybe only have the drawers go halfway through and having drilled or routed out pockets in the back half for tools and/or pieces that may be used fairly often and/or tend to roll around.

I was also thinking of cutting a 3/8" dado in the back with a wider mouth before assembly so I have a 3' deep hole I can store my one piece Pro-Shot cleaning rod in. Just ideas I'm bouncing around in my head.

Looks like a good start. If you really want a "vise" you'll need to come up with some sort of insert with a camming arm that can nestle the buttstock tightly. I wiill make one criticism, though, and that is that by the time you make this thing, you could well spend more than $100 worth of your time and materials. So if you're really trying save money, you'd want to also look at opportunity cost and not just dollar cost.

Well the T-track runs about $15. The base wood can be had for about $30 but I already have scrap pieces left over from other projects. All the rest of the materials are small pieces that are also easily found in scrap left over. Some will be maple and some will be oak, but they'll be free.

Yes, I intend to make a vise grip with a cam, but drawing it is a lot harder than you would think and I also haven't chosen a design I'm happy with. I probably won't even build one like in the pictures, but I needed a demo for how the track would work.

I have some small pieces of track left over from some jigs I've built so I may even make the rests adjustable vertically although I think that may be getting carried away. I'll probably build simple first and then modify later. That's the beauty of the track. If the rest doesn't work, I just slide it off and build a new one.

I actually made my own as well - my time isn't worth anything (student) and I had all the materials and equipment for free. I built a box with a horizontally sliding top that was intended as a range box - carry ammo and cleaning supplies. I then took a couple of scrap pieces of material 4" x 10" and made the cradle cutouts. a 2" circle cut 4" on center from the top edge for the back one, and 2.5 or 3" from the top for the other one. Then with a scrollsaw I cut tangent to the circles to have a nice U shape cut out in the pieces. For brackets to hold the cradle pieces, I just used some poplar strips to make an 'L' shape which was nailed vertically on the 2 inside walls running lengthwise. I put some rubber material on the cradles which allows me to wedge the stock into the cradle (no cam needed), and protects the stock.

I like the idea of a T-track. Mine was originally intended as a gun rest to make it easier to clean. Lately though I've found it handy to use as a shooting bench - much cheaper than a lead sled. But the problem is the two vertical pieces are too far apart - one rests the stock, and the other one ends up cradling the barrel. So if I had it to do over again I'd make a shorter box or somehow make the cradle pieces adjustable. For now I just use a sandbag and remove the front rest.